Rachael Rollins

Rachael Rollins is an American lawyer and politician serving as the District Attorney of Suffolk County in Massachusetts, which includes the municipalities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop. Rollins is the first woman to hold the office of Suffolk County D.A. and the first woman of color to serve as a Massachusetts D.A.[1]

Rachael Rollins
District Attorney of Suffolk County
Assumed office
January 2, 2019
Preceded byJohn P. Pappas
Personal details
BornCambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst (BA)
Northeastern University (JD)
Georgetown University (LLM)

Early life and education

Rollins was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the oldest of five children. Her father, a second-generation Irish-American, fought in the Vietnam War and later worked as a corrections officer.[2] Her mother is from Barbados and a first-generation American. Rollins earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education and African-American studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a Juris Doctor from the Northeastern University School of Law, and a Master of Laws in labor and unemployment law from the Georgetown University Law Center.[3][4]

Career

Rollins previously served as a federal prosecutor.[5] She has also served as general counsel of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and as chief legal counsel of the Massachusetts Port Authority.[3]

Election

During her campaign, Rollins pledged to decriminalize certain low-level offenses, such as shoplifting and drug possession.[5] She defeated four other candidates in the September 4, 2018 Democratic primary[6][7][8] and won the November 6, 2018 general election with 80% of the vote against independent challenger Michael P. Maloney.[9][10][11] She took office on January 2, 2019.[12]

Tenure

Rollins succeeded John P. Pappas, who was appointed by Governor Charlie Baker to serve as Suffolk County district attorney from September 26, 2018, completing the final months of Daniel F. Conley's 16-year term.[13][14]

In March 2019, she laid out a memo on resolving petty crimes without jail time.[15]

In her capacity as district attorney, she is requiring prosecutors visit jails, and not only ones that are nearby.[5] Rollins endorsed Tiffany Cabán in the Democratic primary for Queens district attorney.[16]

Cash bail

After campaigning on a platform that included reducing the use of cash bail, Rollins has since critiqued the Massachusetts Bail Fund for securing the release of incarcerated people in pretrial detention.[17] Rollins' office argues the practice decreases incentive for defendants to return to court though the bail fund cites that 97% of defendants released through their efforts return to court.[18] After a person bailed out by the Masschsetts Bail Fund allegedly committed another sexual assault following their release, Rollins became embroiled in a debate over the nature of cash bail with critics arguing that bail should not be used to keep individuals incarcerated who cannot pay and community safety should be ensured through other methods.[19] Rollins faced further critique when her office increased the bail of a person experiencing homelessness when learning they would be bailed out by the fund.[18]

See also

References
  1. "Meet District Attorney Rollins « Suffolk County District Attorney's Office". Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  2. "Rollins brings mandate for change – and blunt style – to Suffolk DA's job". CommonWealth Magazine. 2018-12-21. Retrieved 2020-12-14.
  3. The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy: Rachael Rollins
  4. "Rachael Rollins | Kennedy Summer School". Retrieved 2020-12-14.
  5. Dialynn Dwyer, "Q&A: Suffolk County District Attorney-elect Rachael Rollins on her priorities and how her personal experiences inform her work as a prosecutor," 'Boston Globe,' November 14, 2018
  6. "PD43+ » 2018 District Attorney Democratic Primary Suffolk District". PD43+.
  7. "Rachael Rollins takes Democrats" nod for district attorney". 5 September 2018.
  8. Reporter, Maria Cramer-. "Rachael Rollins bests crowded field to win Democratic primary for Suffolk district attorney - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.
  9. "PD43+ » 2018 District Attorney General Election Suffolk District". PD43+.
  10. Globe, The Boston. "Election results 2018 - Mass. race - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.
  11. "Rachael Rollins, Criminal Justice Reformer, Is the New Suffolk DA". 7 November 2018.
  12. Reporter, Maria Cramer-. "Rollins sworn in as Suffolk district attorney - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.
  13. McDonald, Danny. "Pappas sworn in as Suffolk DA - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.
  14. "Interim Suffolk DA named". 26 September 2018.
  15. "Suffolk DA Rollins Lays Out Plans For Leniency For Low-Level, Nonviolent Offenses". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  16. Rojas, Rick (26 June 2019). "5 Key Things to Know About Tiffany Cabán". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  17. Estes, Andrea (August 6, 2020). "Sex offender, free on bail, is charged with new rape". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  18. Jonas, Michael (August 23, 2020). "DA seeks bail increase after learning nonprofit fund would pay it". Commonwealth Magazine. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  19. The Editorial Board (August 17, 2020). "Criticism Against Mass. Bail Fund misses the mark". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
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